Far North Uprising

The Titan Snow Demon King and the Ice Bear King arrived almost simultaneously. Their enormous bodies cast huge shadows across the ice plains, making the ground tremble faintly.

Close behind came the Ice Empress's tribe. Hundreds and thousands of Ice Jade Scorpions surged forth like a green tide, densely covering the entire ice plain as their tail hooks glimmered with a chilling light beneath the moon.

Other Soul Beasts arrived one after another as well: ice wolves, ice bears, snow foxes, ice phoenixes, and all manner of other races.

They ran or flew in from every direction, surrounding the area where Snow Empress's Palace stood so tightly that not even water could pass through.

Unlike Di Tian, who had Xiong Jun constantly jumping out to challenge him in Star Dou Forest,

the Snow Empress's rule over the Far North was absolute.

No Soul Beast dared question her authority, nor did any dare defy her orders.

Such was the majesty of the foremost among the Far North's Three Heavenly Kings.

The Ice Empress stood at the very front, her gaze sweeping over every Soul Beast present. Her voice was cold and resolute.

"The Snow Empress's heavenly tribulation is approaching. Begin a thorough search immediately. If any human attempts to approach the Far North's core region, kill them without mercy."

The moment her words fell, Little White suddenly spoke. His voice rolled across the ice plains like muffled thunder.

"Wait. Why is there an unfamiliar scent in Snow Empress's Palace?"

His massive nostrils flared as he sniffed the air. Then his gaze locked onto Snow Empress's Palace, his eyes filled with vigilance and hostility.

As the Ice Bear King raised by the Snow Empress, he knew every inch of Snow Empress's Palace by its scent.

That unfamiliar presence was faint, but it definitely existed.

And it was coming from inside Snow Empress's Palace.

At his roar, the Soul Beasts that had already begun moving stopped in their tracks. Every gaze turned toward the Ice Empress.

The Ice Empress remained expressionless and said evenly, "Except for him."

The Titan Snow Demon King frowned, his immense voice booming like thunder.

"Why? What is so special about that human?"

The Ice Empress fell silent for a moment before speaking slowly.

"That human inherited the Wind Elf's legacy. He can be considered half of the Snow Empress's family."

The Wind Elf?

The Titan Snow Demon King and Little White both froze.

They all knew that the Snow Empress was an ice-and-snow spirit born of heaven and earth, the most unique existence in the entire Far North.

If that human had inherited the Wind Elf's legacy, then he truly could be considered half one of their kind.

The Ice Empress continued, "Remember that scent. If anything happens to him, you had better pray that the Snow Empress falls beneath her heavenly tribulation. Otherwise, she may truly go mad."

At those words, every Soul Beast present sucked in a cold breath.

The Snow Empress going mad?

The mere thought of it was terrifying.

Little White was silent for a moment before asking, "Ice Empress, does the Snow Empress... have confidence?"

The Ice Empress considered it before giving a conservative answer. "At least an eighty percent chance."

After thinking it over again and again, she still did not reveal the embarrassing details of the deal between them.

If word got out, how would she and the Snow Empress ever show their faces in the Far North again?

The two great Heavenly Kings of the Far North had actually sold themselves for Ten-Thousand-Year Mysterious Ice Marrow!

If that spread, would they have any dignity left?

Still, the Ice Empress revealed some information to put the Soul Beasts at ease.

"The gift he brought the Snow Empress was twenty stalks of Ten-Thousand-Year Mysterious Ice Marrow."

The air fell silent in an instant.

The Titan Snow Demon King's hundred-meter-tall body stiffened where he stood, like an iceberg that had abruptly frozen solid. Even his breathing seemed to stop.

Little White's mouth dropped open, his jaw nearly hitting the ground. His lantern-like eyes were filled with disbelief.

Twenty stalks of Ten-Thousand-Year Mysterious Ice Marrow?

Throughout the entire Far North, from old monsters hundreds of thousands of years old

to newborn cubs, who did not know the name of Ten-Thousand-Year Mysterious Ice Marrow?

That was one of the Far North's most precious treasures. Even a single stalk was enough to make Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts fight until their heads bled.

That was because a single stalk of Ten-Thousand-Year Mysterious Ice Marrow could increase a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast's chance of surviving a ferocious beast's heavenly tribulation by at least thirty percent out of nowhere.

Twenty stalks?

Just who was that person?

The Titan Snow Demon King felt as though his brain could no longer process this.

He had lived for so long, yet the total amount of Ten-Thousand-Year Mysterious Ice Marrow he had ever seen did not even amount to several stalks.

And that human had offered twenty at once?

As a meeting gift?

Just who was that person?

Did he have a mine at home?

No, even if he had a mine at home, he could not dig up that much Ten-Thousand-Year Mysterious Ice Marrow!

The Titan Snow Demon King was silent for a long time before slowly speaking. His voice carried complex emotions: shock, awe, and the faintest trace of envy.

"That human... where is he now?"

The Ice Empress pointed toward Snow Empress's Palace and replied calmly.

"In the dungeon, preparing to absorb a Soul Ring and break through."

The Titan Snow Demon King nodded and said nothing more, but his gaze involuntarily drifted toward Snow Empress's Palace, his eyes holding a trace of curiosity.

He was very curious what the human who could casually offer twenty stalks of Ten-Thousand-Year Mysterious Ice Marrow looked like.

Little White also fell silent. But unlike the Titan Snow Demon King, he did not look around. Instead, he gave a slight nod toward Snow Empress's Palace.

It was a silent expression of gratitude.

Gratitude toward that human for giving the Snow Empress hope of survival.

Seeing that the Soul Beasts had all quieted down, the Ice Empress spoke again, her voice carrying unquestionable authority.

"The Snow Empress is on the deepest ice plain right now. Her safety depends on us."

All the Soul Beasts nodded before beginning to move in an orderly manner.

They raced toward the deepest snowfield, forming flowing lines of defense across the ice plains.

Within that icy blue radiance, the Snow Empress's figure appeared especially small, yet especially resolute.

She was like a lighthouse standing amid a storm. No matter how fiercely the wind and waves battered her, she remained unshaken.

The Titan Snow Demon King took a deep breath, then slowly crouched down and pressed his enormous palm against the ground.

A heavy aura spread from his body. The ice beneath his feet began to crack, fissures spreading outward and forming a massive circular trench.

He would use his own strength to build the first line of defense for the Snow Empress.

Little White lay down as well, his white fur beginning to emit a faint cold glow.

His body began to expand. His already enormous frame grew even larger, stretching across the Snow Empress's front like a small mountain.

He would use his own strength to provide the Snow Empress with her final safeguard.

The other Soul Beasts sprang into action as well. Some patrolled the perimeter, standing guard; some set traps and obstacles; others silently gathered their strength, preparing for any sudden danger that might arise.

That night, the entire Far North became a colossal fortress.

And the Snow Empress was the heart of that fortress.

The Ice Empress stood at the very front, her gaze fixed tightly on the figure on the ice plain as she silently prayed in her heart.

Xue'er, you have to succeed.